


Compromise

by CoffeeQuill



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Accidental Baby Yoda Acquisition, Canon Compliant, Clan of two, Compromise, Father-Son Relationship, Learning the Force, Negotiations, New Jedi Order, Pre-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Teaching, The Force
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:40:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22011958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoffeeQuill/pseuds/CoffeeQuill
Summary: Din places him on the ground. “I’ve been looking for the jedi for years. I heard you can train people. He’s one of your kind.”Skywalker’s eyes widen as the kid looks up at him nervously. He lowers himself down to one knee and reaches out a hand, offering it open-palmed to the child. “Hello, there,” he whispers. “I knew another like you, once. He was a very great jedi.”-----After years of searching, Din finally finds where the kid belongs. But doing what's right and doing what's expected are two different things.
Relationships: Baby Yoda & Luke Skywalker, Baby Yoda & The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)
Comments: 65
Kudos: 1460
Collections: Movies





	Compromise

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pointvee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pointvee/gifts).



> Me? Following canon? Shocking.
> 
> This came based off a conversation on the discord server.
> 
> Join the covert on [discord](https://discord.gg/UwZuG6N) for all things baby yoda!
> 
> Send any prompts or requests over to [tumblr](https://coffee-quill.tumblr.com/)

When Din Djarin hears whispers of the name  _ Skywalker,  _ he’s skeptical at best. Skywalker is supposedly a kid who took down the Emperor. Some of the criminal underworld whisper about him being a  _ jedi.  _ Some say they’ve seen him wielding a lightsaber like one of the ancient warriors. Some look towards Din and whisper that he’s a Mandalorian who has shed his armor.

Din snorts beneath his helmet.

But regardless, the kid  _ could  _ be a jedi. He could be exactly what Din is looking for, and the words of the Armorer ring through his head.  _ Raise him or reunite him.  _ Maybe, just maybe, this Skywalker could be the answer after all these years.

The spanner thrown into the works is when, through his inquiries, he finds out that Skywalker is New Republic.  _ Kriff.  _ He doesn’t really want to get government involved. He doesn’t like the thought of either the Empire remnants or the New Republic knowing the kid exists or where he is.

But when Din returns to his ship from the cantina and finds the kid levitating his toys around the cargo hold, and they drop as he receives a giggle of greeting, he holds back a sigh.

_ We’ll just check out this jedi thing, okay? _

_ Yavin 4. _

He’s never been.

As they approach the planet’s surface, hard earned coordinates placed in the  _ Crest’s  _ navigational system, the kid sits in his lap and stares out at the approaching planet.

“Mayyy…” the kid looks up at Din and points out the glass. “May -- _ me’suum?” _

“Right,” Din says, one hand dropping to smooth a finger along the kid’s ear.  _ “Me’suum.  _ Planet. Good job.”

The kid blows a raspberry, looking highly pleased with himself.

Din feels the years more than the kid does. He’s not as young as he once was and he feels it each day. The kid, however, has barely changed during their quest for his kind. He’s grown a bit, still helplessly small. His speech is starting to come along, parroting what Din teaches and shouting out a word when he recognizes what it belongs to.  _ Planets. Ships. Speeders. Blasters. Father. Son. _

“Alright,  _ ad’ika,”  _ he says as they enter the atmosphere, the system guiding them towards the specified coordinates. They fly over treetops and Din looks down, eyes roaming the passing land. “Think we’ll find more sorcerers like you here?”

The kid lets out a babbling string of what should be words. His tone sounds very serious, like what he’s saying is quite important, but not a lick of it is real Basic  _ or  _ Mando’a. He looks up at Din for an answer.

“Yeah,” he mutters. “That’s right.”

He’s spent the last several years searching extensively for the  _ jetii  _ or what’s left of them, and he’s had little luck. In the meantime, he’s been preparing for the possibility that there  _ are no  _ jedi, and he must raise the child as his own instead. In their spare moments, they work together on Mando’a, recount the songs of Mandalore, or practice the Force.

The kid practices the Force, at least. Din just sets up items for him to grab and move around.

When the temple comes into sight, Din lets out a breath and turns off the navigation. There’s a few ships parked in the expanse near the temple and he prepares to land.

“Ready, womp rat?” Din says, lowering them down as the landing gear unfolds. Slowly, and with almost no lurching, the ship manages to land flat and settles nicely.  _ Good.  _ He needs to replace some parts of the  _ Crest _ . The landing gear has been holding out for a surprising amount of time.

The kid doesn’t respond. He usually makes some sort of acknowledgment when Din speaks, but instead he’s staring out the window at the temple, eyes big as he leans against the console.

“I think that’s a yes,” and Din stands, scooping the kid up into his arms.

_ “Buir,”  _ the kid coos, sounding oddly… soft. He’s staring up at Din. He looks almost sad as he reaches up, making grabby hands.

Din frowns, then lifts him higher, letting the little tike curl up against his shoulder. Clawed hands dig into his cloak, gripping tight. “Do you want your pram?” he murmurs, voice rumbling as he reaches for his helmet. The pram he bought soon after the Nevarro incident is a little beaten up from time but still functions just as well as the one Kuill once made.

The child lets out a whimper, clinging to Din instead.

“Alright, then.” He doesn’t usually behave like this. He’s often more curious about new locations than ever this nervous. But Din hasn’t exactly… been  _ cautious  _ in the last few years, and the kid might be smart enough to realize that a new place may just be another place for his father to have his life threatened.

The kid catches on quickly.

Din shoulders his rifle, adjusts the kid, and begins to climb down the ladder. He walks down and hits the button for the side exit, watching as the door slides open and the ramp extends to the ground.

He takes one step onto the ramp, then feels the kid turn in his arms. Din looks at him, then follows his gaze towards the temple. It’s massive, covered in flora and stretching high above them.

Outside its doors, a cloaked figure stands.

He’s young, that’s for certain, Din thinks as they approach and he can look at the jedi better. He’s covered by his brown cloak, the hood up, even as his face and sandy hair are visible.

“Welcome, Mandalorian,” Skywalker says, nodding to him. His eyes dart to the child, who’s tucked firm into Din’s arms and refusing to let go. “What has brought you to this place?”

“Him,” Din says, and reaches back, prying the kid’s fingers off his cloak. The kid whimpers but doesn’t fight him, having seemed to realize over time that if he’s being put somewhere he needs to be there, and Din places him on the ground. “I’ve been looking for the jedi for years. I heard you can train people. He’s one of your kind.”

Skywalker’s eyes widen as the kid looks up at him nervously. He lowers himself down to one knee and reaches out a hand, offering it open-palmed to the child. “Hello, there,” he whispers. “I knew another like you, once. He was a very great jedi.”

Din watches. The kid stares at Skywalker, then reaches out and places both hands on the man’s palm, letting out a coo. Then he looks up and lets out a fast, garbled sentence that takes the jedi by surprise.

“I never thought I would see another of this species,” Skywalker says, nodding at whatever the little being is trying to say. “The one I knew died some years ago.”

“He was being hunted by the Empire,” Din says. “By Moff Gideon. He is under my protection as a foundling.”

“He wields the Force,” Skywalker says, looking up at him questioningly.

Din nods, and mirrors Skywalker, coming down to one knee in the dirt. He taps on the child’s back to get his attention, then waves his hand in a little shake. “Go ahead,” he says. “Show him.”

The kid just stares at him, then turns and stares at Skywalker, eyes big. Skywalker gives him a smile, nodding. “Go on,” he says.

Din frowns when the kid doesn’t move. “Hey,” he says, his voice gentle. “Come on. You do it all the time on the ship. Don’t get stage fright now, buddy.”

The child whimpers. He stares at Skywalker for a moment, then turns and stumbles towards Din, grabbing onto his leg. He holds on tightly, looking up at him.  _ “Buir!”  _ he pleads.  _ “Buir!” _

“I’m right here,” Din says, and he gathers the kid into his arms. “What is… are you afraid of something?”

“What is his name?” Skywalker asks, his voice remaining soft.

Din pauses, then glances at Skywalker.  _ “Ad’ika,”  _ he says, keeping his voice level.  _ “Ad’ika.” _

The kid coos, burrowing into Din’s hold.

“Okay,  _ Ad’ika,”  _ Skywalker says, and he holds out his hand to the side towards the edge of the trees. Din looks and watches as a few small rocks and sticks float into the air, then hover towards them. Skywalker moves back as the objects settle down in the dirt between them. “Can you lift these for me?”

When the kid doesn’t react, only turning away and hiding his face in Din’s armor, Din lets out a sigh. “What is it?” he says, stroking the child’s ears. “You do it in front of me all the time.  _ Gedet’ye?” _

The child stares up at him, then turns and peers at Skywalker. His eyes flit down towards the rocks and sticks, then reaches out a hand.

For a moment, nothing happens. Then, the rocks and sticks begin to lift into the air. Slowly, they rise, and each are given a little twirl in the air. Skywalker begins to smile. Then, they all drop, and the kid turns and hides his face once again.

“Impressive,” Skywalker says. “He certainly has talent. I can--”

_ “Come on,”  _ Din says. “That was nothing, kid. Show him what you can actually do.”

The kid looks up at him, looking as nervous as Din has ever seen him, and he frowns beneath his helmet. “For me?” he says. “For  _ buir?” _

The little tike stares, then his grip loosens. He allows Din to place him on the ground again, and Din looks around before spotting a patch of boulders nearby. They’re not massive, but would still take at least three men to lift one. “Give that a go,” he says, pointing towards the nearest one.

Skywalker looks towards the rock, then his expression contorts into worry. “No,” he says. “No, Mando, that’s--he’s a child, that’s too heavy.”

“Buddy, he’s lifted much heavier,” Din says, and Skywalker stares at him.

The child turns to look at the rock, then holds out his hands. Closing his eyes, the air falls still.

The boulder begins to shake, its bottom still buried in the dirt. It quivers in the ground, shaking free of the dried earth, then begins to lift into the air.

Din smiles. Skywalker stares in shock. The kid’s eyes are screwed shut in concentration, the rock lifting higher into the air. Then, the rock behind it shakes loose. Then the next. All three rise up.

“That shouldn’t be…” Skywalker whispers.

The rocks all collapse at one, knocking against each other, and the kid’s posture drops with exhaustion. He reaches out and grabs Din’s knee to balance himself. Din scoops the tike up, bringing him closer to his chest.

_ “Kandosii!”  _ he says. “Good job. That was really good,  _ cyar’ika.” _

Skywalker is staring at the child, mouth agape, as if what he’s just seen isn’t possible. “He’s strong,” he says. “Very strong. I can feel how the Force surrounds him, but that… is incredible for such a little one.”

“Is healing part of the Force?” Din asks.

Skywalker lifts his eyes to look at Din now. “Healing?” he echoes.

While the Mandalorian and the child return to their ship to fetch a blanket--supposedly, one the child cannot go without--Luke waits for them, still processing what he’s just seen.

_ “Impressive, is he not?” _

Luke jumps in surprise and turns to see Master Yoda sitting on one of the rocks the child moved, looking at him with a mischievous expression. His ghostly form shimmers in the setting sun.

“Did you know about this child?” Luke asks. “The Mando says he’s over 50 years old.”

Yoda closes his eyes and shakes his head, hands folding over his walking stick.  _ “Know, I did not. Likely the last, this child is. Safe, he has been, in the arms of a Mandalorian. Sense the love between them, hmm, do you?” _

Luke stares at him. “I read the history,” he says. “I thought the Mandalorians hate the jedi. Why would one care for this child?”

_ “A founding, he is,”  _ Yoda says.  _ “Love children, Mandalorians do, and common, adoption is. Hmm. A race, they are not. Bound by a Creed, they are. Rescued the child, this Mandalorian did, and bonded tightly they are.” _

“Then how is he going to give me the child to teach, if they’re bonded?” Luke asks.

_ “Give you?”  _ The Grand Master chuckles.  _ “Silly. Silly, yes.” _

Luke stares in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

Approaching footsteps draw his attention and he looks over to see the Mandalorian returning with the child, wrapped tight in a blanket and with something metallic in the child’s mouth. “Sorry,” the Mandalorian mutters. “He’s fussy when he’s tired and these calm him down.”

Luke smiles when the child looks at him. “Can I see what you’ve got there?” he asks, and reaches for the object. The kid stares at him, then releases it from both his mouth and hand. Luke looks at an amulet shaped like a skull with large horns. “Hm. What is it?”

At first, the Mandalorian just stares at him, and he wonders if it’s something sensitive.

“It’s from our clan,” he says in an almost soft voice.

“Ah,” Luke says, and he hands the necklace back to the child. When he glances over his shoulder, his teacher has disappeared.

Din follows Skywalker into the temple, and though his  _ ad’ika  _ is tired, he begins fidgeting as soon as they cross the threshold. “Hey,” Din murmurs. “It’s okay.”

_ “Buir,”  _ the child coos, sounding upset.

“Shh.”

“He’ll be very safe in the temple,” Skywalker says as they walk further in. “He is too young to wield a lightsaber, but his strength in the Force is incredible. He will learn to--”

Din isn’t really listening, more focused on the distress on his son’s face. He isn’t sure why it’s there or what he’s distressed about. If he understands Skywalker’s implication, the Force abilities of one can be felt by another. If they’re standing in a jedi temple, he should be surrounded by the Force. He should be thrilled.

He’s where he belongs.

Why does that thought hurt so bad? The idea of the child liking anywhere other than the  _ Crest?  _ Toddling to follow anyone other than Din? As they stare at each other, Skywalker clears his throat.

“I can take him,” he says, his hands slightly outstretched.

Din stares at Skywalker, then looks down at the kid, who stares up at him.

_ Don’t go. _

He doesn’t know where the thought comes from, but it seems to flood his mind and his eyes fall shut. He sucks in a breath.

_ You belong here. _

_ “Buir,”  _ the child whispers, clutching at the necklace, and Din feels his stomach turn.

_ No. _

He looks up at Skywalker. “No,” he says. “No, he can’t stay here. He doesn’t belong here.”

Skywalker stops and stares at him. “I… don’t understand,” he says. “His powers in the Force are incredible for his development. He belongs with the jedi.”

“No, he doesn’t,” Din says. “He’s a foundling. He’s mine. He’s no jedi.”

_ Raise him or reunite him. _

“He  _ will  _ be a jedi,” Skywalker says, insistent. “He must be trained or he will fall to the dark side. You’re only a Mandalorian. You don’t know how to do this.”

“He’s not staying here,” Din says, an arm coming up to shield the kid. “He’s my son. He wants to stay with me. We’re going.”

The kid coos as he turns and starts walking in the direction they came. In the cavernous room, there’s only his footsteps. He heads for the door, leading out to sunlight.

The door slides shut, and footsteps approach.

“I can’t let you,” Skywalker says. “He’s a powerful being. He outshines all my students in raw power. If I let you leave with him and he falls to the darkness, he could destroy the balance of the Force.”

Din stops and stares at the door. Then he slides his blaster from his holster. “Open it,” he says. He looks over his shoulder. “Now.”

Skywalker walks towards them, then raises his hands in surrender. “Mando,” he says. “I understand you care for him as your child. I understand family. But this child will be sought after by forces that you can’t protect him against.”

“You aren’t taking him.” Din scowls. “Look. If you don’t try to take him, you can train him. We stay on the ship here and I bring him over for training. You get to train him, our clan stays together. Everyone’s happy. Does that work?”

Skywalker pauses. “That’s… not ideal. If it’s his safety you’re so worried about, I can guarantee--”

“Not safety,” Din says. “He wants to stay with me.”

“Mandalorian. Please.”

The kid curls up against Din’s shoulder, gripping his blanket. Sucking on its edge, he seems quite unconcerned about the situation now.

“It’s my only offer,” Din says. “We stay on the ship. You don’t bother us. I’ll bring him over as you need every day. You train him. It’s a win-win.”

“If I say no?” Skywalker asks.

“Then the kid opens the door and we get off this rock as fast as possible.”

Skywalker stares at him. Then, with a sigh, the door slides open. “Fine,” he says. “Fine. It’s not ideal, but I can work with that. This Order… it’s meant to be better than the last. We’ll see if this… works.”

“Good,” Din says.

Once they’ve spent a little over a week on Yavin 4, Din finds he doesn’t mind the arrangement, although he’s sure it’s starting to drive Skywalker insane.

The jedi has other students, so the kid’s lessons are set to begin later in the day and it lets the two sleep the morning away together. Free of any real threats beyond wild animals that get too curious, it gives Din time to strip the  _ Razor Crest  _ of her panels and fix some old wiring that he’s had concerns about.

When the afternoon comes, he wakes the snoozing kid and they walk over to the temple, where Skywalker is often waiting for them. They walk into the temple, heading to the same small room that’s empty besides two opposite-facing mats. 

Din knows that this is Skywalker’s least favorite part of the arrangement. Din sits in on the lessons, sitting or standing by the door. Sometimes he brings a holopad to keep himself busy, sometimes he cleans his blaster. Occasionally he looks up and catches a glare from the jedi.

He can understand why. The lessons revolve around meditation and teaching the child to quiet his mind. It’s difficult to get the kid’s focus when he’s much more interested in whatever Din is doing.

But it’s not like he trusts Skywalker alone with his kid. Though, maybe one day he’ll tell him that  _ ad’ika  _ is Mando’a, not a name.

The kid seems more happy than he’s been for a while, as if this is exactly how life should be. Somehow he is in a position where he straddles two worlds instead of picking one, and he is content. He seems to like Skywalker, too, which is only a  _ slight  _ betrayal.

But somehow,  _ somehow,  _ he finds himself straddling the line, too.

_ Raise him or reunite him. _

Why not both?

Luke watches the Mandalorian walk back towards his ship, the kid sitting on his shoulder. Today was a tougher session, working towards building the child’s mental shields. They’d made decent progress and today was about finding weakness in the foundation to fix it.

He was sure he was going to have to deflect a plasma bolt when the child started whimpering in distress under Luke’s prodding and the Mandalorian snapped out his blaster.

_ “Strong, he is.” _

Luke doesn’t look back at his teacher. “He’s learning faster than I thought,” he says. “I keep looking into his mind. It’s just… incredible. He has a deep understanding of the Force, like he was born with it, just not how to use it yet. I have to acquaint the others with the Force. Not him.”

_ “A natural he is, yes. Hm-hm. Much potential, there is, for one so young. Grave dangers he will face, from the forces of darkness. Teach him you must, and protect him, the Mandalorian will.” _

Luke takes a deep breath, then turns and looks at Yoda. “What do I do when there’s nothing left to teach him?” he says. “His learning will go so fast. He may have learned all he can when he is still just a child.”

_ “If learned, everything is…”  _ Yoda takes a moment to close his eyes, nodding.  _ “Hmm. Yes. Trust in your teachings, you must. Trust they are enough. Use them, he will. Strong, his will is. And determined is the Mandalorian.” _

The sun is disappearing behind the trees, casting shadow over the lower half of the temple. Luke watches as the father and son walk into their ship, and the door begins to close behind them for the night.

“I hope it’s enough,” Luke says to no one.

**Author's Note:**

> Mando'a:  
> Me'suum -- planet  
> Ad'ika -- little one/son/daughter  
> Jetii -- jedi  
> Buir -- father/mother  
> Gedet'ye -- please  
> Kandosii -- nice one!/well done!  
> Cyar'ika -- darling/sweetheart
> 
> During the conversation on discord, an idea brought up was the baby being afraid to show his power to Luke because it might mean Mando leaves him with Luke. Unfortunately, Mando doesn't understand the kid's hesitation, but it all works out anyway.
> 
> The kid needs training, but we love found families too much.
> 
> Join the covert on [discord](https://discord.gg/UwZuG6N) for all things baby yoda!
> 
> Send any prompts or requests over to [tumblr](https://coffee-quill.tumblr.com/)


End file.
